OPENS MAY 2020
Seemingly there’s no stopping restaurateur partners Jermie Cometto and David Gingell as they move onto their fourth opening in London following the unrelenting success of restaurants Western’s Laundry, Primeur and most recently, Jolene in Newington Green.
This time the duo are feeding off the success of Jolene’s bakery-cum-restaurant model by creating a larger sibling site that will focus solely on the baked goods for which the Hackney site has become renowned. According to the team, Big Jolene Bakery, affectionately shortened to Big Jo, “will continue to be anchored firmly in regenerative farming, sustainability, grain economy, healthy growing food systems and community. All of it wrapped up in all the fun things that come from milling your own flour and playing with a couple of bread and pizza ovens.”
The new North London location is situated between Highgate, Holloway and Stroud Green in a disused council parade, formerly a refrigeration and air conditioning shop, with 9,400 square foot of space for the bakery to house indoor grain silos, a couple of flour mills, pizza ovens and even a small fermentation lab for their drinks offerings. The ambitious duo intend that the site will not only cater for Big Jo but also supply ten smaller kiosk sites which they hope to launch across the capital over the next two years selling their lauded freshly-baked bread and pastries.
As well as a production site, Big Jolene Bakery will also comprise a shop, and a spacious 60 cover restaurant serving dishes based around the goods they bake on site, including stone-baked pizzas. If the popularity of Jolene is anything to go by, its likely that Big Jo will fast become the go-to spot for residents in the Holloway / Hornsey area to get their breakfast essentials, teatime treats and wholesome loaves of bread.